Written Answer · 2026-05-05 · Parliament 15
Impact of AI Adoption on Junior Lawyer Training Pipelines and Addressing Developmental Gaps Through One-year Practice Training Framework
Workers' Party NCMP Mr Low Wu Yang Andre asked the Minister for Law in writing whether the Government has assessed the risk that widespread AI adoption in law firms will shrink the routine work — research and drafting — through which junior lawyers have traditionally developed professional judgment, and whether the new one-year practice training framework under the revised admission process is designed specifically to address this risk. Minister for Law Edwin Tong gave no substantive reply, stating that the Ministry of Law would answer this question orally together with other parliamentary questions filed on the same topic at the next available opportunity, and pointed to the consolidated reply "Workload Reduction at Law Firms from AI Use and Guidelines for Such Use" in the Official Report of 6 May 2026. The underlying tension: AI automation is eroding the legal profession's traditional apprenticeship pathway, while the Government's systematic assessment of the training-pipeline gap has yet to be made public.
Key Points
- • WP MP asked whether AI is cutting the research and drafting work junior lawyers learn from
- • He also asked if the one-year practice training framework specifically targets this risk
- • Law Minister Edwin Tong said the question would be answered orally with related questions
- • The substantive reply appears in a consolidated answer dated 6 May 2026
The Ministry of Law declined to answer in writing, opting to reply orally together with other parliamentary questions filed on the same topic at the next available opportunity.
WP MP Low Wu Yang Andre pressed the Government on whether AI adoption is hollowing out junior lawyers' traditional training pathway and whether the new training framework specifically addresses that risk.
AI's impact on the legal profession has entered the parliamentary agenda; by consolidating its reply into a single oral answer, the Ministry of Law signals it is framing AI's effect on lawyer training as a holistic policy question rather than answering piecemeal.
"The Ministry of Law will provide an oral reply to this Parliamentary Question, together with other Parliamentary Questions which have been filed on this topic at the next available opportunity."
Participants (2)
Original Text (English)
SPRS Hansard · Fetched: 2026-06-09
53 Mr Low Wu Yang Andre asked the Minister for Law (a) whether the Ministry has assessed the risk that widespread AI adoption in law firms will reduce the volume of routine work, such as research and drafting, through which junior lawyers have traditionally developed professional judgment; and (b) whether the new one-year practice training framework under the revised admission process is designed to address this risk specifically.
Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai : The Ministry of Law will provide an oral reply to this Parliamentary Question, together with other Parliamentary Questions which have been filed on this topic at the next available opportunity. [ Please refer to " Workload Reduction at Law Firms from AI Use and Guidelines for Such Use ", Official Report, 6 May 2026, Vol 96, Issue 30, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time section. ]